


Just My Luck

by OwlofNevermore



Category: Harvest Moon: A New Beginning
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Good things take time, Misunderstandings, She's Just That Unlucky, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlofNevermore/pseuds/OwlofNevermore
Summary: Rachel's life was going nowhere in the city. A series of very unfortunate events as her life crumbled around her left her homeless, half drowned in a storm just outside Echo Town, her dog Fido missing, with only the clothes on her back and barely 150G to her name. Echo Town either might just help her turn her luck around, if she doesn't just mess up her life more with her knack for bad decisions and rotten luck.Pairings really inter-changeable until later on in the story, including main pairing. Will be added as they happen.
Relationships: Neil/Rachel | Rio
Kudos: 5





	1. Lost, Alone, Done For.

**Author's Note:**

> When Rachel gets to Echo Town, I based the layout off how I got have it in game. I have all stores and houses in the first area. I'll try my best to accurately describe how I have it set in game, but if that is better, just imagine how you have it in game. I also completely disregarded the plot of the game, and had it all set up when Rachel gets there because it would hold my plot back too much and have her out of character to have to build a whole town herself. But, enough game/story notes...
> 
> This started off as a really old Friends of Mineral Town fanfic I wrote that was to be fair, awful. I started to rewrite it, and it turned into a completely new story unrecognisable to the original. At least, I hope so. Don't know why I mentioned this, but I felt right to add that it was a rewrite, lol, in case of the impossible chance someone might know of the original and wonder.

Leaving was never part of the plan.

When she got home after work that night, to-go cappuccino cup in one hand a seeded bagel smeared in cream cheese in the other, she planned to sit on the couch in her old PJs watching trashy reality TV. Maybe fall asleep thinking about something other than the fast food restaurant and parroting the phrase, “Hi, welcome to Farm Fresh Fast Food, can I take your order?” for the millionth time. Every day first thing, she told herself, _this will be the last day_ , and by the end of it she knew her career in fast food would never be over. Maybe she should have listened to her parents and gone to college, but eighteen year old Rachel thought she knew better.

Took great delight in telling them, “I can go to college any time. Why not get a job and put away some cash so you don’t have to pay for everything?” Three years later, and now she flips burgers for less than 100G a day.

The money barely covers food and travel expenses, while paying rent and bills burn through her savings. Once a week she treated herself to a bagel and cappuccino just to give herself the motivation to get up in the morning. All week working for that special treat.

Holding the bagel between her teeth, Rachel rummaged around in her bag for the keys to her one room apartment. By far the worst and cheapest apartment in the whole building, but it came fully furnished and it was a roof over her head. The second the door opened, she was greeted by yapping and a small dog leaping into her arms.

Fido licked at the bagel, pulled it out of her mouth.

“Alright, fine, but the next one I finish myself,” said Rachel, laughing.

She set him down on the tattered carpet floor. The light brown beagle ran off to the sofa, to go eat his purloined dinner. Rachel walked over to the kitchenette, set her handbag down on the only available counter space. The kitchenette itself was tiny. Only room for a sink, drying board and a tiny counter space that if she had a microwave would take that up easily. Checking the fridge proved pointless. Nothing. Not a bottle of milk, or even a single egg. Rachel closed the fridge again. All the food she had in the whole apartment consisted of three tins of dog food, and the bagel that Fido had almost finished.

“Cappuccino dinner it is, then,” she decided.

Rachel didn’t feel like pulling the sofa bed out that night. Instead, she lay on the sofa. Her head rested on her pillow propped up on the arm. She lay flat on her back. Fido curled up on her stomach under the quilt. At least the warmth of a beagle puppy cuddled up to her was free. Saved her money on heating. She fell asleep watching Mineral Town Romance, where young people compete to earn their dream weddings.

Loud thudding at the door woke her up with a jolt. Rachel scooped up Fido, set him down on her pillow. The dog was so spark out asleep he wasn’t even aware that she had moved him. Leaving the warmth of her quilt cocoon, the cold hit her with a jolt. Rubbing her arms with her hands, she walked to the door. Not nearly a long walk, as her apartment was so tiny, it barely had enough space for the kitchenette, sofa and TV on an old table.

The landlord stood out in the hall. A sleazy middle-aged man, whose clothes were always covered in a film of grease or oil. His balding head dripped with sweat. “Rent is due,” he barked at her.

Barely even fully awake, Rachel muttered, “I thought rent was due at the end of the week.”

“I changed rent day to today. Pay up or get out.”

Rachel tried to plead with him to let her go to the ATM to get some money, but he had none of it. He wanted her out, and nothing she could say would change his mind. He did hint that if she was a “little friendlier to him” he might give her until tomorrow night to get the cash. Rachel flat out refused him. Only one hour to pack her bags. Everything she owned fit into one suitcase; one dress for smart wear, her handbag, the horrible yellow polo shirt and brown slacks work uniform she had to buy with matching Farm Fresh Fast Food apron, a hair brush, a framed photo of her parents and brother, free samples of make up, and a good pair of high heels, one pack of underwear, tins of dog food and Fido’s chewy bone dog toy. Everything else she had to wear. A baggy sweater, a pair of jeans. Sneakers she had to wear for work. A rain coat with a hood. Her blonde hair tied up into a ponytail using an elastic band she removed from the newspaper this morning. Fido remained still as she fastened the leash to his collar.

Out on the dark streets, Rachel walked dragging her suitcase on wheels behind her. Fido had more of a bounce in his step, thinking this was just a late night walk. He sniffed anything he found. Raised his leg to pee on a lamp post. Every breath lingered in the cold air. Winter is certainly on the way. Lucky for Rachel, she found the bus stop before rain fell. To keep him out the rain, she tied Fido’s leash to the bench under the shelter.

His pink tongue slithered across her face.

“Thanks, little heater,” said Rachel, patting him on the head. “Guard my suitcase, okay?”

The ATM stood only a couple feet away from the bus stop. Rachel had no choice but to dash for the coverage of the awning over the ATM machine. She put the card in the slot, and entered her pin number. All she had to her name a meagre 200G. She will be needing that. Every single gold coin.

Only after she had cleared her account, sat on the bus stop bench, Rachel’s situation fully dawned on her. Homeless with such little money that wouldn’t be nearly enough to get her a hotel room for one night, let alone until she could find a new apartment. It wouldn’t even cover a month’s rent up front.

The rain thundered down on the bus shelter for hours. No buses came by this late at night. Sleeping at a bus stop would be dangerous. Not even Fido could fight off anyone who wanted to rob her.

Going to work fared no better. First her supervisor yelled at her for turning up to work not wearing her uniform. His rage exploded with the force of a volcano eruption when he saw Fido. The poor dog yelped, shrinking away to hide behind Rachel’s legs. She tried to plead with him to allow her to leave Fido in the back office, where he will sleep. She promised Fido is good, and wouldn’t destroy anything. Even explaining that her landlord evicted her didn’t help her. No hesitation, no consideration for the girl who had worked there for three years and never asked for a sick day or vacation day. Who was first there every morning and last to leave at night.

Just a heartless cold “You’re fired.”

Rachel walked the streets, tears pouring from her eyes. A light downpour of mist like rain masked them, mostly. Fido got tired, unable to walk further. Rachel sat him on top of the suitcase, allowed him to ride along as she pulled the wheelie suitcase.

Nothing for it.

She had to eat a massive slab of humble pie, go home to her parents and beg for their forgiveness. Hope they haven’t turned her old room to a gym or a study or a sewing room, and that they would actually let her stay there for a while. Do anything they asked, even if that meant going to college, if they hadn’t spent her college fund on a beach house or a yacht. Henry would love this. He had already settled into a life as a deadbeat wasting his days festering in their basement. She swore that would never be her. He would gloat until the end of time.

50G for a bus ticket.

The driver was kind enough to allow Fido on the bus. In a whisper, he told her, “Sit at the back, and sit him near the window. Put your coat over him. No one will see him there.”

“Thank you,” said Rachel, almost on the verge of tears. He is the first person to show her any kindness in the last 24 hours, and that meant so much to her. Restored her belief in the kindness of people.

Not that many passengers. Just a woman with a mess of blonde hair dressed in black and purple. A redhaired girl who stared out the window. A boy who wore a blue cap and overalls. None of them noticed Rachel make her way to the back of the bus, with a dog tucked under her arm. She sat Fido on the seat near the window. Slipped off her coat, draped it over him in lieu of a blanket. He went to sleep right away.

Rachel looked out the window. Watched the dank dark city fade away, turn into a blur of orange, red and yellow trees. In the city she almost forgot that it was autumn. Leaves just seemed to drop from the trees in the city, litter the ground for a few days then disappear into nothing. Out here, they clung to the trees creating such beautiful colours. She wouldn’t mind seeing what winter could be like out in the country, were snow stuck to the ground, and everything glistened with such white beauty. How wonderful would that be? Some quiet little village where everyone knew each other on a first name basis. Friendships lasted forever. The only real love is true.

A life she could dream about from a life under the blanket guilt of her parents making her feel guilty about her throwing away everything they ever wanted for her.

Rain pitter-pattering against the window stirred her from her day dreams of a life now out of her reach. The pitter-patter changed from a light tapping at the window, to almost thunderous _thump-thump-thump_. Such thick deluge, that she couldn’t see much of anything. Fido woke up wanting food. She had to open a can of dog food, and let him eat directly out of the can. Some luck at last, that she didn’t need a can opener. It opened by twisting a metal key like a sardine can.

Rachel started to rehearse her sorry speech in her head.

After an hour, she managed to put together: _“Mama, Papa, I know you want what is best for me. To give me a decent future like you. You worked really hard to give me the best of everything, and I love you for that. You did tell me moving to the city would be a mistake, and you are right. I had to make that mistake to learn from it. Had I not gone there, I never would have brought Fido into my life, or realised just how horrible the city is. I am really sorry for my blatant ungratefulness…”_

A loud KLUNK! SPLATTER, SPLATTER, KLUNK! Snapped her out of her line of thoughts. The bus came to a very abrupt sudden stop. Rachel rested her hand on Fido’s head, to assure him he is safe. The driver tried his best to fix the engine, but it had given up. Beyond repair. Rachel scooped Fido up in the bundle of her coat, made sure the hood is over his head.

“Excuse me, sir?” Rachel asked the driver. “I don’t have anywhere to go…”

“A bus should come by this way again in a week. Follow the path down into the valley, you should reach Echo Town easily. A man named Hossan owns the inn. You should find a place to stay there.”

“But what about my dog? Animals aren’t usually allowed in inns.”

“I think Echo Town used to be an old ranch homestead. The farm is out of commission now, but the town still stands. No one will mind.”

“Thank you.”

Rachel carried her beloved puppy wrapped in her raincoat. She was wet through within seconds. Her blonde ponytail plastered to the back her head and neck. The road far behind her, as she followed a brick path flanked with trees. Signs pointing towards Echo Town became sporadic. Her whole body felt warm, her forehead clammy. The bundle in her arms kept her going. Fido had to get out the rain. Any shelter would do, where she could settle him down to rest. Rachel wouldn’t mind sleeping under the hedge rows.

Bricks on the road became fewer, as it gave in completely to a muddy path down into the valley. Rachel tucked her coat wrapped dog under one arm, resting him on her hip. She stopped for a few moments to catch her breath. Her chest felt so tight, she could scarcely take in the clear country air. Rachel rearranged her ponytail. The band snapped in her hand. Her soaking wet blonde hair fell down her back. One harsh heavy gust of wind threw it into her face. The force of it almost threw her clear off her feet.

Slowly she moved down the slippery muddy road with the harsh cold late autumn wind on her back. One wrong step on a loose rock in the earth sent her tumbling down the slope. She tried so hard to keep hold of Fido, but somewhere along the way she lost grip of him. He tumbled onto the wet grass at the bottom with a yelp. Rachel’s rain coat was lost somewhere further up.

Rachel rolled over on the grass, coughing and trying to get air into her lungs. A flash of lightning cracked through the stormy sky, followed by the rumble of thunder. Letting out a yelp of fear, Fido charged off towards some trees higher up in the mountain.

“Fido!” Rachel shouted, her words drowned out by a crash of thunder.

Rachel tried getting up, her hands and feet slipped in the mud. Flailing around like a fish in shallow water, she managed to roll over onto a patch of grass. Still wet and slippery, but more stable than the mud puddle she pulled herself out of. Not even the stars lit her way. Occasional flashes of lightening allowed her to get some aspect of direction. The threes got thicker as she made her way up into the mountains.

She turned around, at the sound of someone shouting “HEY YOU!” at her. Rachel turned around, and saw someone from the bus. Mass of blonde hair barely even touched by the rain, clothed in black and purple. “GET HERE, NOW!”

Rachel screamed with fright. Ran away from her. She kept going. Ran away from the mountains into a forest. She shouted for Fido. Still no sign of him. Rachel started to feel as if she would never see him ever again. Everything was overgrown, trees taller than houses. The foliage high above blocked out most of the rain, only allowing in sporadic drops or bursts of rain. Allowed her to avoid the worst of the water. She was still soaked through to her skin, but this prevented her from getting even more of it. Fireflies dancing in the air guided her way through the forest that opened up to what she guessed is a town.

A large stone plaza at the top of town. The storm blocked out most of it, but what she could gather the town was both small and bustling. She hurried for the first house, but stopped in her tracks. Black, with a roof shaped like a witch’s hat. In the window she caught a glimpse of the blonde woman who had chased her hours before. She backed away slowly. There were two buildings on the other side. One had an awning above the door. Out in the yard surrounded by a stone wall, a table with a large parasol. This had to be the inn the driver had spoken of. No lights were on in the windows. She knocked, calling for help. No one answered.

She let out a scream as the awning tore, dropping a lot of ice cold water on her head. The burst of water washed away most of the mud from her hair. She followed the road across to a building that reminded her of an old movie theatre. All locked up tight. This had only an iron wrought table and three chairs beside a shrub in a pot nearby. No one lived here. A path lead down to a road below. Three pots shaped like tricycles and two lampposts flanked the left side of the road. There were houses scattered around, but nothing stood out about them in her almost feverish state. She turned right at the crossroads, lead to a plaza with two buildings. One in appearance of a restaurant. Tables and chairs, with pots and flower boxes of drowned gerberas around. Must be quite nice on a sunny day. A large stone and stucco building offered a welcome sight to her.

The doors were open. She stumbled in through the doors, felt a wave of relief at the warmth inside. Clean, welcoming, dry air. Her footsteps created wet puddles across the spotless wooden floors. The smile of a shorter heavyset man with straw like hair welcomed her.

“Welcome to the Inn! Open one hundred and twenty-four days a year, and that is our promise! We never close. Everyone is welcome here. My name is Hossan.” He looked over her. “Oh! You poor thing! Let me check you in at once. Don’t worry! Yuri, the tailor, makes and donates clothes here for anyone of need of them.”

He sat her on a chair at the table. Called out for someone named Niko to fetch a blanket and some clean clothes.

“Thank you, sir, but… I don’t have much money,” said Rachel. “Probably not even enough for one night. My dog went missing in the mountains. Please, let me just sit here and dry off. I will give you all I have just for that. I will be gone before any of your customers wake up.”

“I will not hear of it! A young woman shouldn’t be out in this weather. You could catch your death. Maybe the Harvest Goddess strike me down right now, if I dared deny you board and a good meal in the morning. Give me whatever you have, and I will waive the rest of the bill.”

Rachel reached into her sopping pocket, pulled out a 50G coin and a 100G coin, deposed them into his open hand.

Hossan looked at the coins in his hand. For a horrible moment, Rachel feared he might change his mind and throw her out into the rain for the audacity of giving him such a tiny amount.

“Miss…”

“Rachel. My name is Rachel.”

“Rachel, you have more than enough to pay for a week.”

Her jaw dropped open. “I do? Really? Then yes, please, I will check in for a week.”

“Your change,” he replied with a smile.

Rachel almost cried at the sight of the 100G coin he placed in her hand.

A chubby boy of about ten came bounding towards her carrying a pile of clean clothes. On top of the pile was a plastic hair comb. He greatly resembled his father. Same straw-coloured hair. Same friendly smile. Same chubby cheeks.

“Hello! I am Niko, let me show you to your room,” said the boy.

Rachel worried about all the dirty muddy rainwater she had tracked in. Niko assured her that it is nothing to worry about, as a little mud was to be expected out in these rural areas, and he will clean it up. He made a joke about it being how he makes his pocket money, then laughed. The room easily found, the first door at the top of the stairs.

“Wait out here, while I prepare the room for you,” said Niko.

Unused to seeing a child be a more efficient worker than most adults, Rachel stood there nodding dumbly. After five minutes, he told her to leave her shoes outside the door and he will polish them up nice. Rachel obliged, also removing her socks. She walked into the room, looked at with awe. This one room is bigger in size even than her former apartment. The bed made tidy, with the pile of clean clothes at the foot of the bed. Three candles lit, set around the room. One on the dresser, one on the table by the bed, another on a dining table and chairs. In the corner, one of those folded collapsible drying racks. On the dresser was one of those old jugs and washing bowl.

“Do you have a bathroom here? I’d like to get cleaned up,” said Rachel.

“Nope. Chamber pot is under the bed if you need to go in the night. If you fill it, don’t throw your business out the window. Leave the pot outside the door, and we will dispose of it in the downstairs bathroom. But if you want a proper bath, you have to wait until morning. If you want to wash your clothes, leave them outside the door with your shoes.”

“Is it possible to wash before morning?”

Niko fetched the jug from the dresser. “I will fill this up for you, and bring you a sponge, soap and towel.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, and I left a welcome pack in the dresser.”

Niko left her alone. Rachel looked around the room. If only Fido was here to enjoy all this with her. She undressed to her underwear, folded up her wet sweater and jeans left them outside the door with her socks and boots. Her underwear was also sopping wet, but she didn’t feel like giving the poor kid a fright by having to see them.

The door knocked five minutes later. “It’s Niko! My eyes are closed. I can’t see anything.” The door open a crack. He set the jug down just inside the door, with a folded towel and a cotton bag containing soap and a sponge.

Her hair was mostly clean of mud from the soaking under the awning. Still a little matted, but that could wait until morning when she had shower access. Using the wash bowl, soap and sponge, Rachel washed herself. During all this, she started to cough. Her chest felt tight. She used the leftover warm water to wash her bra and panties, left them to dry on the rack. They should be dry all morning. The clothes turned out to be a red flannel shirt, white shirt, and a pair of jeans. All of them were too big for her. There was a belt to go with the jeans. She wore the baggy t-shirt as a night dress. Climbed into bed, checked the welcome pack.

A small wicker box, that she emptied out on the patchwork quilt over her lap. A small pack of hair bands with a brush, on the label a place named Allen’s Salon. She used one of the bands and the brush to pull her hair up into a loose bun. Allen’s Salon cropped up again in a coupon book, along with General Store—five items free with purchase of milk, a free hair styling at Allen’s Salon, two tins of pet food at Rod’s Pets, half off on item of choosing at the Tailor, one free meal at Chez Clement.

Rachel set the box down on the table. Lay back on the bed, stared up at the ceiling until the candles burned out. The last thing she thought of was of Fido.

“See you soon, little heater,” she muttered, as she drifted off.


	2. A Friend In Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This contains a song that I saw on a TV show, and just loved. I don't know who originally sang it. It's called La Vie En Rose.

The promise of a bath after the night before filled Rachel with a flutter of excitement. Strange, how a bath was never one of those things to get excited about. At first she was determined not to use the chamber pot, due to the embarrassment of a kid having to carry a pot of the contents of her bladder and bowel was a shame she could live without. However, her body had other plans.

First sunlight of dawn shined in through the windows, and woke her instantly. Natural light this early in the morning? Not natural to a city slicker like herself. She squirmed as she tried to make her way over to the drying rack to get her now dry underwear. Rachel feared she might have to wash them all over again if she didn’t just relieve herself in the chamber pot. Her cheeks glowing red, she slowly pushed the now full chamber pot out the door, then closed it. She silently prayed to the Harvest Goddess that no one saw her.

This bathroom was hardly real plumbing. First, she had to walk all the way downstairs, go into the innkeeper’s private rooms and use the bathroom there. This proper bath, nothing more than an old wooden washtub. She could have stayed in her room. Had another sponge wash. Hossan provided a freshly boiled kettle of water to heat up the water already in the tub. Rachel thought it best to just wash her hair, scrub it with a towel, tie it up into a lose bun and hope it dried okay. Her sneakers were cleaned and scrubbed almost new. The kid did good work, she had to acknowledge that. She looked a state wearing t-shirt she had slept in, jeans baggy with a belt pulled as tight as it could go to stop them from falling down, and an too big for her red plaid shirt buttoned up and half tucked into the waist to further help her jeans stay up.

Rachel went down to the desk to inquire about breakfast.

“Our kitchen is currently out of service,” Hossan explained. He tore off a coupon for Chez Clement from a book on his desk. This one was more specific than the one she found in the coupon book. “Take this next door to the restaurant, Clement has agreed to allow our guests to eat there before opening times, until our kitchen is repaired.”

“Thank you,” said Rachel, looking at the coupon. This offered her an omelette, a beverage of her choosing and two side dishes of her choosing.

“Are you going next door?” said a girl somewhere behind her. Her voice sounded soft and bubbly. Rachel turned around. The girl had honey coloured hair. A friendly smile that made Rachel want to smile with her. Had the whole maid cap, dress and apron look down.

“Yes,” Rachel replied.

“I work there. You could come with me, and we could eat breakfast together if you want.”

“Sure… I’m Rachel.”

“Felicity.”

Felicity got her own coupon. They walked out the inn together, where Felicity told Rachel all about how much she loved her job as a waitress. Even though the restaurant was literally right next to the inn, Rachel felt like she knew the entire menu by heart before she even entered the establishment. Clement turned out to be a portly man, who made her feel welcome the moment she stepped through the door.

The restaurant itself, had only three tables. Two were pushed close together. Four chairs at each. Gave a real community vibe, where everyone just sat together and ate their meals over good conversation. Rachel found all the kindness a little jarring. People she knew were not this kind to someone they just met. They certainly didn’t give them free clothes and food, as good as wait on them hand and foot, to people who stumbled out of a storm.

Rachel felt as if she could hardly breathe. Her nose on the verge of dripping. Her whole body far too warm for someone walking around late autumn without a coat. She asked instead of the omelette she simply have some soup and perhaps a glass of milk. Felicity ordered so much food, they had a feast of breakfast foods between them. She told Rachel to take anything she wants. Rachel only had an appetite for her soup.

“How long are you in town for?” Felicity asked, once their feast was laid out between them.

“About a week I guess,” Rachel replied. She raised the spoon to her mouth, instinctively blew on the red tomato soup before sipping it.

“What brought you this way?”

“Coming here wasn’t part of the plan,” Rachel admitted. “I was going to my parents’ place, the bus broke down. The driver told me about the inn. Honestly, I didn’t think I could afford it. I wanted to get myself and my dog Fido out the rain.”

“Oh! You have a dog! What kind?”

“He is a beagle pup. Actually, we got separated in the storm. I should finish this and go out look for him. He must be terrified.”

“Oh no! The poor pup! I will help you find him.” Felicity turned in her chair. “Clement, could I please have the day off? My new friend here, Rachel, has lost her dog, and I would like to help her go find him.”

“Alright. Few customers come in here the day after a storm,” Clement replied.

Rachel ate her soup, even though her appetite dwindled. Her chest felt icy cold and tight with each breath, the rest of her so warm she wished for someone to throw an icy cold bucket of water over. No one did that, but that didn’t stop her from wanting it. Breathing out of her nose became an impossibility at this point. She had to wait while Felicity ate her very large breakfast.

Together they walked out the restaurant. Rachel saw now in clear daylight, across the street from the inn and restaurant was a large whimsical pink house on a side street, directly opposite it a house with a lattice fence. A young woman about her own age came out of the house with the lattice fence. Dressed in orange and green. A bounce in her step, just like her short curly hair.

“Tina!” Felicity called out to her.

The woman named Tina jogged over to them. “Morning!”

“Have you seen a dog around?”

“I’ve not done my rounds yet. Can’t say I have.”

Felicity touched Rachel’s arm. “My new friend here, Rachel, lost her dog in the storm last night.”

“You should ask Rod or Neil. Come with me, I have to give Neil his newspaper personally.” She glanced to Rachel, smiled. “Why he can’t wait until I deliver it to his mailbox, I don’t know.”

Rachel let out a little awkward laugh. This Neil guy sounded like someone set in his ways.

They walked together up the hill to that plaza Rachel had stumbled through the night before. They talked the whole way.

“Are these friends of yours?” Rachel asked.

“Something like that,” Felicity replied.

“Oh… fall out with them?”

“Rod is her ex,” Tina cut in.

“We dated the whole summer,” Felicity explained.

“Oh,” said Rachel awkwardly.

“Nothing like that,” said Felicity. “There aren’t really that many young people in town. Everyone knows that eventually we will all probably end up married one day. Chances are Rod could one day marry one of my best friends, or we could end up back together. No point holding grudges about it.”

“That is so different from where I come from,” Rachel replied. “When you split up with a guy you both hate each other, and he is off limits from all your friends, unless your friend hates you.”

“The only guy in town that doesn’t do that is Neil,” said Tina. “Apparently no one in town is good enough for him.” 

Now it looked almost entirely different. Not that anything had changed other than the fact that is now broad daylight, and clear skies. Two stalls set up, with pens in front of them. There were no animals in the pens.

A sign indicated that they were no longer bringing animals to the plaza, with a note at the bottom indicating; _enquire in store for more details._

On her left, a sour faced blonde guy wearing a nice red jacket stared off to the horizon. Didn’t even give them a second glance. Rachel figured this guy must be Neil, as Tina hurried over to him and slapped the newspaper on the counter in front of him. She said something to him, but Rachel was too far away to catch it. She followed Felicity to the other guy. A beaming smile, wore bright colours. Interesting style choices that he wore goggles on his head purely for decoration and not because he needed them.

“Rachel, you tell Rod, you know your dog better than me,” said Felicity.

“I lost my dog somewhere in the mountains I think,” Rachel explained. “I’m not sure, everything happened so fast. He did have a red collar and lead on him. A light brown beagle puppy. Answers to the name Fido.”

“I haven’t seen him, but I will help you look.” Rod reached over the counter, placed a “temporarily closed” sign on it.

“Wait…” said Rachel. She reached into her pocket, removed the coupon book from her welcome pack. Turned to the one for Rod’s Pets. “Could I cash in this first? All his food was in my suitcase. I lost that too.”

Rod took the coupon. “Sure thing, I’ll have it delivered to you. Are you staying at the inn?”

“I am.”

Rod turned. “Hey Neil, there is a dog missing. We are going to search for him. Are you coming?”

Neil did the same thing Rod did, in closing down his store. Rachel enquired about leaving their stores unattended like that, but Rod assured her no one would touch anything in their absence. Apparently crime is a thing of fiction in this town. Much better than the city, where everything that wasn’t nailed down got stolen. Even then criminals would give it their best shot to remove the nails too.

The search party of Neil, Rod, Rachel, Tina and Felicity hurried into the forest. To Rachel the forest also seemed like such a different place. Birds chirping a harmonious song that set her nerves at ease. Bursts of pure sunlight shining down in the foliage high above her head. Small animals scurrying around going about their little lives without a flicker of worry about the group of five humans that had just walked right into their home.

“Neil, you look here,” said Rod, pointing up higher into the forest. “Tina, Felicity, you go over that way, in case he went near the mines. Rachel, you are with me. We will go near the mountain pass, see if he is around there.”

Everyone agreed to meet back in one hour. As Rachel and Rod made their way through the forest path, a chorus of “Fido!” in three different voices called out all around them. Occasionally Rod joined in. Rachel couldn’t shout. Her nose so dripping with mucus she could barely breathe. She felt it that morning, but the steam from her sort-of bath had helped clear up some of the mucus congestion.

“How long has Fido lived with you?” Rod asked.

“Couple months. Someone was selling puppies out on the sidewalk when I left work. When I got home, the guy had already moved on. Left Fido there alone to fend for himself. I took off my jacket, wrapped him up in it, and he has been my roommate ever since.”

They walked until they found a flower covered glade. Nearby a fallen hallow log so tall that Rachel could walk right through it if she ever wanted to. Another tree nearby with the bark partially peeling away. Rod looked at her, noticing she looked pretty sickly. A slight rattle in her breath had gone unnoticed in the town plaza, but now in the woods where it is drastically quieter, he noticed it literally loud and clear. Rachel had a faraway look in her eyes, as if she were seeing something a million miles away. She felt light headed. No longer had the strength to remain standing. She slumped forward, landed face first in a mud puddle.

“RACHEL!” Rod shouted.

He ran over to her, dragged her out the puddle onto the grass. Shouted frantically for help. His voice travelled fast in the now silent forest, grabbing the attention of Neil, Felicity and Tina, who came running. All of them panicked over numerous things that might happened. For one horrible moment, Felicity feared she had died. Rod and Neil had to carry her to the clinic, while Felicity and Tina ran ahead, to let the doctor Klaus know she is coming. The clinic stood in the shadow of the witch’s house at certain times a day. Just down the hill from it.

Rachel knew none of this. The last she remembered was looking at the fallen log, wondering if she could walk through it. Then waking up on an old hospital bed with white bedding, looking at a wall with a light yellowish tint. Smell of strong disinfectant wafting around her nose. Her eyes fluttered open, then shut again.

“Finally awake?” The voice came from somewhere nearby. A soft mellow man’s voice. So softly spoken, Rachel almost didn’t hear him.

“Yeah,” Rachel muttered.

“What you in for?”

Rachel’s eyes snapped open. She sat up, looked around the clinic. “I’m in jail?”

She looked over to the next bed, saw a man clearly a little older than her. He had to be in his thirties at least. Thick brown hair, layered and flowed to his shoulders. Stubble on his chin. Wore a pink and light purple kimono.

“No,” than man said. A visible look of amusement on his face. “The clinic.”

“Oh,” said Rachel, laying back on her bed. “I don’t remember. Last thing I remember is being in the forest looking for my dog with some new friends, and waking up here. What about you?”

“Just a daily talking to from the doc, about my eating habits.”

Rachel frowned.

“Got a name?” the man asked.

“Rachel.”

“Soseki.”

On the other side of the white folding divider, there seemed to be a commotion. Someone who spoke in a German accent yelling to get something out of there. Rachel could pick out a voice she recognised. Two. Sounded as if Felicity and Rod were there. Then a yap noise that made Rachel’s mood soar. She got out of bed, not realising that she was in a hospital gown—lucky for her, it did not open at the back. Rachel hurried over to the divider, and peered around it. She made eye contact with Fido, now safe in Rod’s arms.

Felicity and Rod were arguing with a much older stark looking man, in a white lab coat and a stethoscope draped around his neck for easy use. Fido’s eyes lit up. He leapt out of Rod’s arms, ran across the white tiled floor, jumped up into her arms. He licked her face. Fido looked so clean, had a faint aroma of shampoo clinging to his light brown fur. A strong stench of dog food on his breath. He had eaten recently.

Only then she noticed what Rod was carrying. He held a bag of what had to be more than two tins of dog food.

“You are awake at last,” the doctor acknowledged.

Doctor Klaus ordered Fido be removed from the clinic at once. Rod had to take him, and promised they would be right outside. Rachel had to have a full check up before she was allowed to leave, before Klaus would even acknowledge the fact all she had was a really bad cold, due to getting caught out in a storm for so long without a decent coat. Once given the all clear, Rachel followed after her new friends. Only Felicity waited outside, holding Fido’s leash. The dog had chosen that moment to pee on the doctor’s picket fence.

“Everyone had to go because of work,” Felicity explained. “Oh, and Rod wanted to give you this.” She held out the bag.

“He didn’t have to do that,” said Rachel. “The coupon was only good for two cans.” Just looking in the bag, she saw more than dog food. A blanket, two chew toys, a new collar and leash. Dog food bowl. A bottle of pet shampoo. Could be quite possible that Rod had given Fido food since finding him.

“Rod is good guy. He can’t resist looking after animals. He found your dog yesterday, and has not let him out of his sight.”

Rachel took Fido’s lead. “Yesterday? How long was I out? Have I lost my room at the inn?”

“You passed out yesterday.”

Rachel exhaled with relieve. “What happened to me?”

The girls started walking to the inn, going by the stalls. Both Rod and Neil were too occupied serving customers to notice them waving.

“Rod said you just passed out suddenly,” Felicity explained. “We were all terrified you were dead. I mean, I know that sounds weird, because we just met you and yes, it is sad when someone dies. We were all worried that you would be gone before you got the chance to see your dog one last time, or before we could all get to know you. I feel like you and I could be good friends… that is weird, right?”

“Zero weirdness,” Rachel replied.

“So, yeah, Neil and Rod carried you to the clinic. We didn’t know what to do. I told Hossan what happened—by the way, he says that you did pay for staying seven nights, doesn’t mean they have to be in a row, and he will hold the room until you can return to it.”

“Oh, I’ll thank him when I see him.”

“Rod closed his stall for the day. Went out to the forest, and stayed there for hours. He found your dog, and took him back to his cottage. He wanted your dog to be all clean, fed and healthy when you saw him again.” 

“I do appreciate all you have done for me. Everyone.” 

“You say that like helping people is rare.”

“Where I come, yeah. People would rather step over you than help you.”

“No wonder you left it. I would have left too. I hope you stay here forever.”

Rachel got the feeling Felicity meant it too. The few people she had met were genuine. Maybe one day she can come back. After her parents have finished guilt tripping her over returning home with her metaphorical tail between her legs, dirt poor and got nothing but the donated clothes on her back and her dog.

Rachel invited her back to her room. They spent the afternoon playing with Fido, such as throwing his new chewy bone down the landing outside their rooms. Even Niko joined in with the game. Fido liked it when the boy threw the toy down the stairs. He charged after it, caught before it could smash a plant pot. After the games, Fido needed a nap. He sprawled out across her pillow, legs in the air. Snored loudly.

After everyone had gone, Rachel tried to sleep. She made sure to blow her nose, using a tissue box someone had left on the side table. Could be the silence, could be the dog sprawled out on her pillow. The windows at the back of the room looked out on the cliffs that the plaza sat upon. She opened the one on the west side, overlooking a thick woodland of trees. Nothing out there except for an empty concrete plaza with no lights. Seemed like wasted space.

She leaned on the windowsill. Looked up at the stars. Light pollution in the city always stopped her from enjoying the beauty of billions or even trillions of white flecks glistening on the dark blue velvet of the night sky. She heard the most beautiful music carrying in the air. Someone must be playing a guitar somewhere. A soft and gentle music. She listened for a short while, until it stopped.

Rachel felt a strange desire to sing. Her voice wasn’t that great. She would not be good enough to perform on a stage. If she did, there would be no applause. Still, she gave it her best chance. Not like anyone could see her.

_“Hold me close and hold me fast,_

_The magic spell you cast,_

_This is la vie en rose._

_When you kiss me, Heaven sighs,_

_And though I close my eyes,_

_I see la vie en rose._

_When you press me to your heart,_

_And in a world apart,_

_A world where roses bloom._

_And when you speak,_

_Angels sing from above,_

_Every day words,_

_Seems to turn into love songs._

_Give your heart and soul to me,_

_And life will always be,_

_La vie en rose.”_

The guitar player stopped to listen, then tried to play the notes they thought would go along with it. Rachel blushed that this person had clearly heard her. She sang little verses, allowing them to learn the words. Nearly half hour passed, and they already sang and played in semi-harmony.

The harmonious song and guitar music started to feel like a dream. Something that didn’t happen for a broke homeless girl managing to mesh together a life from the kindness of strangers. When she awoke the following morning, her blanket half off her, Fido on her pillow, her face buried into a pillow she made of a towel, wearing her loose white t-shirt and nothing else, she had already romanticised the whole thing.

In the dream that clung to her waking thoughts, she thought herself a scullery maid scrubbing a floor in the palace kitchens, singing. Then a bard stumbled into the kitchen. He played the music to her song, until she caught the attention of a handsome prince.

Her dream was mostly forgotten, as she gathered her things and headed down to the bathroom for a morning bath. Her hair went unwashed. She tied it up in a bun, and thought it best to wait for a good rainfall. That would suffice for a shower, if she used shampoo and washed it over a barrel to avoid getting the suds everywhere. A short-term fix, and she would have to think of something better in the long run.

All mostly clean, Rachel decided to sit in the lobby to wait for Hossan to give her the breakfast coupon. Felicity came bounding over, having just come downstairs.

“Rachel, you and I have to go shopping. You lost everything in the storm, and I need a new dress for Amir’s party.”

“Don’t you have work?” Rachel asked.

“Nope. Day off.”

“Sure. I’ve just got to get some more coupons from my room.”


End file.
